God Loves Diversity and Justice : Progressive Scholars Speak About Faith, Politics, and the World

Both personal and scholarly in tone, this book encourages readers to think theologically, ethically, and politically about the statement that declares: “God loves diversity and justice.” The multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-gendered identities of the eleven contributors and two respondents deepen the conversation. It considers questions such as: Do we affirm or challenge this theological statement? Do we concentrate on “God” in our response or do we interrogate what diversity and justice mean in light of God’s love for diversity and justice? Alternatively, do we prefer to ponder the verb, to love, and consider what it might mean for society if people really believed in a divinity loving diversity and justice? Of course, there are no easy and simple answers whether we consult the Sikh scriptures, the Bible, the Qur’an, the movies, the Declaration of Human Rights, or the transgender movement, but the effort is worthwhile. The result is a serious historical, literary, cultural, and religious discourse that fends against intellectually rigid thought and simplistic belief systems across the religious spectrum. In our world in which so much military unrest and violence, economic inequities, and religious strife prevail, such a conversation nurtures theological, ethical, and political possibilities of inclusion and justice. Contents 8 Introduction 10 Part I: About God 20 Chapter One: God Is Diversity and Justice 22 Chapter Two: As Long as You Are Doing Something 42 Chapter Three: I AM, Who Loves the Prophets, Loves You 66 Part II: About Love 80 Chapter Four: A World without Tags 82 Chapter Five: Class Matters in an Age of Empire 98 Part III: About Diversity 122 Chapter Six: Celebrating Diversity Is Not What It’s All About 124 Chapter Seven: Does God Really Love Diversity? 138 Part IV: About Justice 154 Chapter Eight: Diversity, Justice, and the Bible for Grown-Ups 156 Chapter Nine: The Exiled Native 170 Chapter Ten: Justice Is at the Core 188 Chapter Eleven: Transgender Spirituality 206 Part V: Two Responses 226 Chapter Twelve: Reflections on “God Loves Diversity and Justice” 228 Chapter Thirteen: Should God Remain? 236 Index 244 About the Contributors 246 This book interrogates the theological statement of God loving diversity and justice from the multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-gendered identities of the contributors. They engage selectively the various sources of their diverse traditions, including the Sikh scriptures, the Bible, the Qur’an, the movies, the Declaration of Human Rights, and the transgender movement. The result is a serious historical, literary, cultural, and religious discourse that fends against intellectually rigid thought and simplistic belief systems.